When Science Becomes Fun

Science is a subject that requires an understanding of facts, equations with a dash of creativity. This is not for everyone as each child has different interests and abilities. Science does not have to be a boring subject, this can be a fun and exciting learning experience for kids.

Why Enjoyment Matters

Studies have shown that kids learn and recall much better when they are having fun. This adage is the same for science-related subjects; it does not have to bore your kid’s mind to be enriching.

Children who have fun in what they are doing associate these positive emotions with the activities they participate in. This association of these happy thoughts will encourage them to keep coming back and will do their best to perform well.

Kids that have fun are more eager to participate and contribute to the activities. Engaged children will learn more about science compared to kids who are not having as much fun.

Fun and exciting activities stir the creativity and imagination of participants. Children will find it easier to solve problems and look for creative solutions when they join an activity at science camp. It also enables kids to grasp theoretical concepts better if they have fun or if they were presented creatively.

Summer day camps provide unique programs and activities for kids who want to see and experience a different kind of science.

Making Science Fun

Some summer day camps offer a unique twist to an otherwise boring subject that uses facts, equations and concepts. The counsellors and instructors create a conducive learning environment that enables each child to participate and contribute.

Several activities stir the creativity and imagination of your child, but still provide them with an enriching experience that discusses science concepts and facts. Some programs cater to younger kids while others are ideal for pre-teens or teens.

A fun time at science camp will keep kids coming back for more and retain the lessons they learned even when school starts. The activities that helped them retain information will make learning new science concepts as they move up in school easier.

Why Science Camp

Science camp is an enriching experience for all participants, they not only discover new things about science, they also get to meet and make new friends.

Science is a fun subject when shared with others while participating in exciting activities. The counsellors also prepared creative presentations to make the subject fun and imagination stirring.

For great summer day camp programs, check out Zodiac Camp. They have great science-related specialty programs such as Science & Rocketry, Science & Magic and Robotics.

Strengthen Your Child’s Motor Skills at Zodiac Day Camp

Basic skills such as moving hands for writing or picking things up, or walking and running are often taken for granted. These are vital motor skills that people use daily; developing these will enable your kids to participate in sports if they want to.

Day camps provide an excellent opportunity for children to improve their motor skills and find a hobby as well.

What are gross motor skills?

Gross motor skills use whole body movements and large, stabilizing muscles. This skill enables you to perform daily activities like running, sitting upright, walking and standing. You also use your gross motor skills in eye-hand coordination like ball skills where you catch, kick or throw.

The essential building blocks to improve gross motor skills are:

1. Muscular endurance and strength
2. Motor planning and learning
3. Balance
4. Coordination
5. Body awareness
6. Muscle tone

What are fine motor skills?

Fine motor skills require the use of smaller muscles in the hands and other parts of the body. You use this skill when you do up buttons, open boxes or write. The development of fine motor skills affects the efficiency, quality and speed of a task. A high level of fine motor skill proficiency requires several independent skills to work in unison properly to perform a task appropriately.

Skills where a person uses fine motor skills include:

1. Using a pencil for coloring, writing, drawing or other similar skills
2. Using scissors
3. Self-care

Why are fine and gross motor skills important?

Fine and gross motor skills are important to the development of your child because a lack of any of these may lead to bigger problems such as mental or physical disorders. Both are vital to performing simple, daily tasks that they will need in school and in life.

Gross motor skills enable your child to walk, run, skip or play with other kids in the playground or at school. It also allows them to balance on one leg when they put clothes one. Gross motor abilities also affect some fine motor skills; maintaining proper posture influences a child’s ability to draw, write or use the pencil on a table. It also influences the body’s ability to endure a full day at school such as carrying a bag, moving from classroom to classroom or sitting upright.

Zodiac Day Camp offers a variety of activities that develop both your child’s gross and fine motor skills to help them grow into a holistic person.

Day Camps as Perfect Venues for Leisure and Learning

Are you looking for a fun activity for your child during weekends or summers? Day camps provide the right balance of leisure and learning for kids and parents looking for an enriching experience.

Fun and Enriching

It is difficult to find a place where your child can have both a fun time and learning experiences. Zodiac Day Camp Toronto provides your child with a variety of exciting activities where they learn life lessons. Zodiac offers different programs depending on the interest of your child.

Performing arts camp is for kids who want to explore acting and singing. The program helps boost the confidence of children through various activities. The instructors teach participants acting techniques, voice projection and other skills for the stage. It teaches your child to communicate with others, stir imagination and develop inter and intrapersonal skills.

Swim school is a fun and exciting program for kids who want to learn a new sport and get some exercise. Swimming is a challenging sport that pushes the limits of your child, but there are activities for young kids as well. Toddlers can learn how to stay comfortable in the water and enjoy swimming with their caregivers.

This sport teaches your child discipline, as he or she has to master different strokes and go through the rigours of training. They also get to make new friends who share the same interests. Swimming also teaches teamwork as each child helps and pushes each other as they move up a level.

For kids who want to learn first aid, day camp is also one of the best places to do so. Learn the basics and how to respond to an emergency, which may save the life of a person. Instructors Will guide kids through the process and teach them how to use their first aid kits properly when the need arises.

The Right Camp for Your Child

With the many options for day camp in Toronto, you and your child will have to choose which one is best. Consider the interests of your child when you look for a program. Is he or she interested in swimming or other sports? Or are they an arts person?

The involvement of your child in the process piques their interest and makes them excited about participating. Go on personal visits with your kid to each camp on your shortlist. This makes them feel less anxious on the actual start of camp since they have seen the counsellors and facilities.

Day camps are an enriching experience for kids; find one for your loved one to have meaningful weeks and summers.

Music as Your Child’s Expression

Music has been a medium of expression for as long as it existed. Music was made to express gratitude to the gods, to express sadness in mournful passings of ancestors and loved ones, to celebrate a union of individuals, and to simply appreciate the beauty of nature. Music has existed for so long that humans recognize it as a language and not even a child is exempt from this. Young as they are, children can comprehend the beautiful pattern of sounds as a language.

At an early age, even infants respond to music by bouncing and moving their hands and feet. They unconsciously sway to the melodious sound. This response is proof of how music affects the child's body and mind.

Toddlers like music too, and they learn melodies first before words. Music is used to help them memorize and remember things, which means it is advised for learning at the same time, for relaxation and fun.

It is noticeable how children come to like songs that reflect what they feel. A sad child is more likely to listen to sad songs, while a happy child may go around singing and dancing to her favorite perky tune. Parents can constantly check how their children may be feeling just by listening to the songs their children find appealing.

Music also influences moods. Giving your child a chance to learn to play an instrument or simply develop his/her vocal talents would give him/her a hobby to consider as an outlet for emotional expression. 

Having an outlet for your children would mean better handling of stress and can also provide some comfort from time to time. Music is one gift every parent should give to their children. Aside from music being a medium of expression, music also aids learning and memory building, as well as many other aspects of child growth like intellectual, social, emotional, motor, language and literacy.

There are many ways to help your child appreciate music and develop their skills and talents. One way is to enrol them in kids’ summer camp classes that offer lessons and activities to help children discover themselves. Zodiac kids summer camp offers fun and reliable programmes for children to hone their skills and at the same time meet with their fellow campers. The Kid Vantage and Specialty Program they offer are great opportunities for your child to learn and grow in many aspects. Call Zodiac today!

How Dance Classes Improve Your Child’s Individual and Social Skills

In today’s generation, most children have become very dependent in technology and have strayed away from a healthy lifestyle. As a parent, it may be very alarming to you that many children are prone to obesity these days because of easy access to everything. It is important in a child’s growth and development to run outdoors and play with their friends, breathe in fresh air and let the sunlight give them healthy vitamins. It is also as important to introduce them to a sport or activity where they can exercise and become healthier.

There are many physical activities to choose from, dance classes are popular among children of different ages. Dancing develops a child’s flexibility, balance and discipline—all of which are good elements towards self-development. Dance classes also develop a child’s cognitive and social skills, as well as boost their confidence.

Enrolling in a dance class will open opportunities for children to make new friends. Some dance class activities do encourage teamwork and partner activities. While your child is exposed to an environment of different individuals from various walks of life, they learn better understanding of how relationships work and become better with handling or interacting with people.

Confidence is also built up in dance class. The activities help children know what they can do, and how well they are at it. While they are in the process of interacting with friends and receiving support from the people around them, they gain self-esteem. Compliments and constructive feedback will push them to do better and therefore, challenge themselves to progress.

Dance class can also help you, parents, to encourage your child to a healthy lifestyle and stay away from vices like drugs and alcohol. Enrolling them gives the bigger possibility of spending their time in worthwhile activities rather than resorting to poor habits.

Your child is led to a journey full of opportunities in a dance class. Let your child be a part of this learning experience and help him/her become a better version of himself/herself: confident, responsible, respectful, disciplined and healthy. There are day camps like Zodiac that offer programs to help your child learn new skills, hone his talents, and meet other people through different summer camp programs and activities.

Zodiac Day Camp offers many summer camp programs and lessons which your child can enrol in: they have the Kid Vantage Program and the Specialty Program, as well as Aquatic Leadership camps. Open your doors to these wonderful opportunities and let Zodiac’s summer day camp programs help you lead your child to the path of success.

Finding Individuality Through Performing Arts

Performing arts develops many aspects in a child. It helps children find their many talents and develop habits and traits that would greatly affect their future.

Singing, dancing, acting in theater or musical plays are some activities performing arts has to offer. Because it has a broader scope, the range of skills and space for development in every child is vast. Children open the doors to their better and more experienced selves as they evolve in performing arts since it plays an important role in cognitive, social, motor, emotional and language development.

In every performance, a child is given the chance to express him/herself while delivering something-- whether it be a song, a line or a dance. Children get to show what they are capable of and unconsciously develop self-esteem and confidence. With this, they are able to bring ideas to life while also connecting with their innate feelings and instincts.

With better self-esteem and confidence, kids perform with heart and passion that gives them the chance to stand out and identify themselves in a crowd. Because they gain better understanding of themselves as they participate in different activities, they develop a sense of individuality while being able to support their co-performers.

Activities in performing arts also test a child's individuality through improvisation. There are many opportunities for each child to show their unique approach to prospective circumstances or situations in life. Letting the kids experiment on this promotes their individuality and lets them celebrate human diversity with just the right amount of free play.

By allowing your children new experiences it helps them to prepare for the real world as they grow up. Performing arts involvement is just one of the many ways to assist your child's development and growth.

Enroll your child in a day camp which offers this opportunity, like Zodiac's Summer Day camps that offer Specialty Programs that focus on a child's area of specialization-- one of which is Performing Arts.

Zodiac's Specialty Program for campers 5.5 to 12.5 years is aimed for helping children find the art they are most comfortable with, and use their talents for their own benefit when they grow. Zodiac's Specialty Program will help your child hone his/her skills and find great people at the same time. Make the obvious choice, and choose the camp that is reputed for its good service and guidance. Choose Zodiac!

Different Kinds of Performing Arts Discipline

Performing arts is comprised of different fields that have the common factor and as the name suggests, it is all about performance or performing. All arts under this category produce something that cannot be touched, but can be seen and heard. Some of these arts are dance, music, opera, theater, mime or puppetry. Any kind of art that makes a performance its final product falls under Performing Arts.

Music is the art that involves production of tunes and songs. This form of art also falls under performing arts, since the artists perform their music to the audience. There are even musical plays that incorporate music and acting into one.

Dance is the art of graceful movements. Dance is used to express different emotions and represent different meanings and events. It has been associated with many social and cultural symbolism, and makes use of movement and choreography to deliver messages to the audience.

Theater, on the other hand, is a mixture of both disciplines, and many others. Theater involves music, dance or acting and drama to present an event or a story to the audience. Theater also involves stagecraft wherein performers do stage design. There are different types of theater: drama, musical theater, comedy, tragedy and improvisation. Performers portray scenes from known previous events in human history or present an enactment of situations written in books and famous stories.

Operas are always live performances in an opera house, and the story is sung throughout the performance by highly trained and expert classical singers and actors.

The scope of Performing Arts is still debatable especially in the modern times, since there are many performances rendered by different artists all over the world. Opening your child to the wonders of Performing Arts will show them different kinds of performances, as well as engaging them to learn and appreciate the kind of art presented by the actors, singers, dancers as performers. They may even aspire to be one, and who knows, maybe your child has the talent and skills that are yet to be nurtured for this field.

Zodiac Day Camp offers a specialty program for kids, which comprises of many specialization areas including Performing Arts. As a parent, we always want the best for our children, and we aim to support their growth and interests especially when they contribute to their well-being. Register your child with Zodiac and you can be rest assured that your child will have fun and learn a lot about the wondrous field of performing arts!

Creating and Imagining: Important Skills Your Child Can Learn at Day Camps

Day camp provides an opportunity for your child to grow because of the varied activities. Some programs enhance motor skills, while others stir the creativity of children.

Creativity and imagination are vital life skills that your child can use in various aspects of his or her life. They can use it in sports, in school and in everyday living.

The Importance of Imagination

The imagination of a child is boundless; it allows them to see a different perspective, put themselves in the shoes of others, create new worlds or project into the future. This kind of creativity does not have to end when a child starts school.

A creative mind is needed in solving problems, no matter how simple or complex. This is the building block that your child needs to develop as he or she ages. The imagination enables your child to find different angles to a situation. It also lets them find a creative solution by thinking outside the box.

A creative mind does not limit children in finding ways to solve a problem. They learn how to connect the dots or use related concepts to find a solution.

The imagination also enables children to think about their future selves. You always here kids tell stories about what they want to be when they grow up. Some kids stay true to what they say, while others change their minds when they get older. This cannot be bypassed as a childhood fantasy. Encourage children to think about their plans for the future. Their imagination will help them discover who they are and what they want to be.

Developing Creativity

Help your child develop their imagination and creativity by encouraging instructed and free play while they are still toddlers. Allow them to join arts or acting camp to enhance their creativity. Programs such as writing and drawing stir their creativity and maybe help them discover a hidden talent.

Performing arts camp lets kids express themselves and connect with an audience. They also get to develop their intrapersonal skills while learning how to perform on stage.

There are different kinds of day camps for kids and parents who want to explore and develop their imagination and creativity.

Why Day Camps

The diverse programs that day camps offer give children and parents different choices based on interest. Parents can help kids uncover a hidden talent or improve an existing one. The instructors and counsellors will guide each child so that they participate and get the most out of each activity.

Mixing Imagination and Creativity at Day Camps

Creativity and imagination are important factors to the development of a child. These enable children to think out of the box and are integral to problem solving. Day camp provides kids with the opportunity to explore different aspects of their imagination and creativity through different activities.

The Power of Creativity

The imagination connects with other skills that allows your child grow holistically. Creativity enables children to project themselves into the future; that’s why you see a lot of kids talk about whom they want to be when they want to grow up.

The imagination also enables kids to visualize the past and learn more about history. They need creativity to try to picture events they have never been a part of. This gives them insight about the past, and what they can learn from it once they reach a certain age.

Problem solving is an important skill that carries over into adulthood. Creativity helps develop this skill because it allows your child to think of different ways to find a solution. They learn about a problem and try to discover different angles to solve it when they use their imagination.

Creativity is interconnected with other skills that let your child grow holistically. Day camp is an ideal way to stir their imagination and learn life skills as well.

Stirring Imagination at Day Camp

Day camp provides various activities that allow your child to explore their creative side. Some camps offer theatre arts, even if your child does not pursue a career or hobby they learn vital skills by participating in this program. They learn how to speak in front of a crowd and boost their self-confidence. They also learn to communicate better through the activities in acting camp.

Arts camp is also a great alternative for kids who want to explore their creativity and imagination. The programs teach your child how to paint draw or write. Think creatively improve their cognitive skills.

Your child benefits from arts day camp because of the environment created in them. They get to explore their creativity with an experienced instructor and counsellor, and with other kids. They can make new friends while painting, drawing or writing.

Day camp has many benefits for kids. Go to tried and tested camps that have been offering a diverse program for children with varying interests such as Zodiac Day Camp. A visit to the day camp with your kids can help get kids excited about enrolling in a program that best suits their needs.

Tips for Enhancing Your Child’s Imagination

Children see through a colorful and unique perspective. It is because of their innocence of the world that lets them see things differently than us adults. It is important to nurture this gift as they grow, because one day, their imaginations will influence their ways of living and interacting with the rest of the world -- both nature and human.

Children with vast imaginations are prone to be artists when they grow up, and this allows them to appreciate the beauty of their environment. Taming our children's imaginations as we nurture it is a tough task, since it requires patience and support, as well as discipline.

Many camps offer various activities to help parents bring out the best skills out of their children and to develop them as they become part of a greater crowd. Day camps have been a freeing experience to many children because most of the time, this is where great friendships start. Art activities help children express their feelings and imagination and with proper guidance these skills and talents will develop, eventually giving children a good and productive hobby as they grow up.

There are a many ways we can assist our children as they enhance their imagination. Here are a few tips you can try:

1.Expose them to nature and spend time outdoors.

Nature is a good teacher for both adults and the young. Also, nature always changes, and this challenges the child's brain to discover new things and to improve their problem-solving capabilities. It is also noted that spending time outdoors will help your child strengthen his bonds with his environment, as well as develop his appreciation for nature.

2. Let them experience art activities.

Art is a fun way of learning that defies the usual mindset they learn at school. Art is not limited by rules and guidelines of what is wrong and right. Children who enjoy art are free to discover techniques on their own, letting their minds work and their imagination reflect in the works they create.

3. Share literacy and verbal activities with your child.

Reading a bedtime story with an open ending and asking your child what he thinks about it is a good way to exercise his brain. "What do you think would happen if..." or "How do you think it should end?" are questions that stimulate their thinking and problem solving skills for they get to share with you how they think and how they perceive things. Singing songs and sharing riddles and rhymes will also improve your child's vocabulary and interest in literature.

Imagination is the key to endless possibilities. Nurturing this aspect of your child's development will help them immensely as they grow up. Camps like Zodiac offer different activities for children that will help develop their imagination and many other skills. Zodiac’s Kid Vantage Day Camps also focus on the children's imaginative development with programs like Imagination and KV Creativity. Day camps are a good opportunity for children to learn, and if you want your children to be safe and have a time worthwhile, Zodiac is the helping hand you're looking for.

Why Imagination is Important to Your Child’s Cognitive Development

One often thinks that the world a child builds is only a phase soon to be forgotten once he or she reaches a certain age. Adults think that a kid uses make believe or fantasies to escape the real world. More and more studies point to the importance of stirring a child’s imagination because of its importance to cognitive development.

Cognitive Development

Children’s brains are malleable, especially at a young age. They will explore their world as they wander around your house, draw all over the walls or run around playing games.

Pretend play and using their imagination helps children make a distinction between reality and make-believe. It helps them gather evidence and make conclusions once they reach nine years old.

Stirring their imagination improves their problem solving skills. Kids will learn how to think outside the box to solve a problem. They get to see a bigger perspective when they use creativity and if it was an integral part during their formative years.

Relating to History

Can you relive history and learn about the significant people that lived through them? It takes imagination to think about the past and learn from them, this is where cognitive development helps.

Children who practice make-believe or use their imagination in different ways will develop perspective and learn how to understand the past.

Thinking about the Future

Can you travel to the future? You will need to use your imagination to project what you want to be like; the same is true for your kids.

Kids play pretend scientist, policeman, dinosaur, princess or whatever they imagine to be. Telling them what to do or limiting their imagination will make it difficult for them to project into the future.

Stimulate your child’s imagination with different programs for the arts or let them play during their formative years. Supervised and free play allows children to discover the world on their own. It helps them formulate their own perception of the things around them. They get to use their imagination to discover new things and learn more on their own.

Arts Camp

Arts camp stimulates the creativity of your children; they get to explore their mind and learn new skills in various fields. Day camps like Zodiac Day Camp provides various programs that caters to different interests of children. Kids get to discover hidden talents and find an outlet for self-expression. A child needs to find an avenue to express themselves to develop into a well-rounded person.

How Art Develops Children’s Life Skills

Art is a form of self-expression that children need to discover new things, use their creativity to solve problems, project into the future and just have fun. Kids will learn a lot through arts camp because of the activities and guidance from instructors.

Think Creatively

Thinking creatively is a skill that carries over into adulthood. Children who develop this will do better in looking for new ways to solve problems presented to them, whether in the classroom or in real life.

Art helps them explore their creativity through making things or acting in the theatre. This exploration stimulates their creative side to produce colourful works of art or convince an audience about the character they are portraying. This translates into a child’s schoolwork and once they reach adulthood. They become less restricted in how they think about the world around them.

Self-Confidence

Participating in a theatre class is not just about performing on stage or acting in front of a small audience; it is also about being confident in your own skin and your talents. It takes courage to speak or act in front of a crowd.

Your child may not be the next Oscar winning actor or actress, but joining theatre class will help them develop the confidence to speak their mind or be themselves.

Self-Expression

A child needs a place where they can express their inner thoughts; arts camp is an ideal outlet for it.

Art encourages participants to step out of their comfort zone and try new things. In arts camp, children can let their inner selves speak through painting, drawing, acting or singing. Kids will have better communication skills when they have an outlet to express themselves.

Outside the Box Problem Solving

Art pushes the boundaries; exposure to this enables your child to think outside the box to solve problems. Kids need room to make mistakes and learn from them, art helps them develop the skills they need to figure out the best possible answer or solution in a particular situation.

Art is important to the holistic growth of your child as it teaches them valuable life skills that carry over into adulthood.

Several arts camps have a variety of programs, how do you find the best one for your child?

Choosing an Arts Camp

The best way to choose an art camp for your child is to do an actual visit and to learn more about the programme being offered by the camp. There are some reliable ones that have been around for a few decades such as Zodiac Day Camp, which has various activities to develop your child’s life skills through art.

How Day Camps Can Be Helpful to your Preschool Child

Learning starts early in a child's life, and day camps aim to assist parents teach important values in their children as early as their preschool years. You may think it's unnecessary to enroll your toddler in a day camp, but there are many reasons why you should do otherwise.

Today, we will tell you what preschool day camps do for your child?

1.They help toddlers learn important socialization skills.

Preschool day camps expose your child to the presence of other children. This gives them the opportunity to communicate and play, as they interact through daily activities the camp offers.

2. They serve as a preview of what school will be like.

Preschool is a big step and your child might get uneasy the first time they go. Day camps offer a learning community with less pressure, but with considerable amount of time focused on learning and playing. This will help your child adapt to formal school in the future.

3. They can instill independence.

Preschool children may not be fully independent, but a small step towards it is always good. The thought of being away from Mom and Dad for a short amount of time should be something children must grow comfortable with. While some day camps provide full parent assistance for every day of activities, some camps may expose children to events that need them to be free from their parents' arms. This will help them adapt to future school conditions and they will no longer be upset when their parents leave them in the classroom.

4. They help children develop different skills.

Camps are all about learning with large amounts of fun. Children will be able to draw, to count or to simply play and develop motor skills as they participate in camp activities. They will develop interests in many aspects of learning.

5. They may offer swimming lessons.

This will help children love and not fear the waters. They will also learn how to enjoy the pool, and this will help them relax in the future as they get to real swimming lessons as they grow older. Preschool camps also give children the light of healthy lifestyle as young as they are.

There are many benefits of enrolling your child to a day camp, so don't say no to these wonderful opportunities. You will not only help your child grow into a better person someday, you are also doing yourself a favor. Day camps are a good stepping stone to the real deal later on, which is school. It is best you prepare your child for the bigger things in the future. Give day camps like Zodiac a try, and you will see great results in your children's development.

How Day Camps can Enhance Your Child’s Leadership Skills

Day camps are a good way to let your children experience their independence and take part in responsibilities. Because of the many activities offered in day camps, children are able to participate with others and therefore develop teamwork and awareness with how their actions affect other people.

Day camps expose children to chores and develop discipline along the way, and plant into them the seeds of responsibility. Knowing the weight of their actions will help them develop their sense of responsibility, and with that they become one step better at leading. Leaders are expected to be responsible people, and day camps nurture these values.

Day camps also offer activities that promote awareness and self worth, letting children discover the extent of their capabilities and show them how they can contribute to the people around them. Knowing that they can do something will help children realize their worth and that they are needed by other people. This will build their self-esteem and give them confidence to participate in group activities.

Other camp activities also require teamwork from time to time, and children can shuffle on responsibilities to know which role they perform best. They will eventually get a chance to lead the group themselves, and as they decide on things, they will learn from mistakes and get encouraged with good decisions. They will learn new ways to approach problems, knowing that giving up easily is a weight not only one will carry, but the rest of the team.

Leadership is developed best with experience, and day camps provide plenty of opportunities for children to learn. Decision-making, self-esteem, discipline, sense of responsibility and developed communication skills are the many attributes that help make a leader, and all these are nurtured in day camps, especially leadership camps. Sports-oriented activities will also develop the child's sportsmanship as well as his leadership skills, learning that teamwork is a key to success.

Zodiac Day Camp offers may activities to develop your children's leadership skills. There are age-specific activities that are aimed to encourage development in the different stages of a child's life. Zodiac's KV Program, for example, promotes both mind and body awareness since it includes Creativity and Sports. Allow your children grow into the best they can be as they find their way through different activities the camp offers. Provide a great environment that will train your child to become future leaders – enroll them in Zodiac today!

How Art Can Be Therapy to Your Child

Daily challenges and school life can be stressful to your children. Just like adults, children need an outlet to release themselves from the tensions of daily life. Art is a good way to unwind all those pressured brains and nerves and have fun while enhancing their artistic capabilities at the same time.

Art can come in different forms and paces, which is why it is good for every child. There is no pressure of doing the right thing and making mistakes. Every move a child makes as he or she indulges in art is a step of progress and discovery.

Every stroke of pencil, every cut of a paper and every mold on the clay is a step forward to discovering the many ways to create something beautiful. Children are always yearning for knowledge and discovery, and school is a good place to learn, but it can prove to be stressful at times. Art, on the other hand, is welcoming to mistakes for it means nothing but learning all the same. Children are also creative in nature, and art may just be their medium of expression.

Art therapy can help children who are depressed to cope with and release the tensions they feel through their artworks. Also, some children aren't open to sharing what they feel or think especially when it's something devastating for them. Though this may be true, their works of art will speak volumes of what they feel, and thus help them communicate without the need for words they may hardly even think of.

Through art, children are able to focus on something without the fear of making mistakes. They are able to express themselves without limit but not as open and direct as verbal communication, but nonetheless, they can share what's happening inside their minds. This will not help the child alone, but also their parents and guardians, who may have difficulties understanding their behaviors as they undergo through tough times in their lives.

One of the easy ways to expose your children to the wonders of art is by enrolling them in creativity camps. Zodiac Day Camp has a KV Program dedicated to children who want to experience art and explore the creative world. The staff over at Zodiac are always on the watch and will guide your children towards uncovering their artistic potential and let them experience many activities that will enhance their artistic inclinations. Let your child unwind and have fun, and let Zodiac help you give your child the experience he or she needs.

How Cooking Improves Your Child’s Life Skills

We see them every day – cooking shows that wet our appetites and make us want to cook. However, it is not only adults, who can be inspired by these gastronomic delights. Our children may develop an inclination towards cooking, too!

While most parents would be scared to leave their children in the kitchen, we strongly encourage you to expose them to the wonderful world of culinary arts at an early age. With your supervision and proper instruction (have you ever seen that show that features young cooks whipping up amazing food?), your child can be the next culinary sensation!

But more than the actual culinary skills, there are other life skills your child can learn from cooking:

1. Following instructions. When your child learns how to cook, the first basic rule is to follow the steps in the recipe. This simple challenge will help your children learn and follow what they need to do to achieve the results they desire. More than that, this experience will help you bond with your child and improve parent-child communication in an engaging, interactive activity.
2. Math and accuracy. Cooking integrates basic math and this will help your child understanding the fundamental skills that will prove to be helpful later on in his or her life. You will be exposing your kids to the world of fractions especially when they are measuring the ingredients of their recipe.
3. Understanding change. Science plays a significant part when cooking. Your child will be able to learn how liquid becomes solid (when baking cakes) or how liquid becomes gas (steaming). This understanding will help your child appreciate chemistry later on in life.
4. Time-management skills. How long does it take for the muffin to rise? How long does it take to prepare the ingredients? These simple things can do wonders with your child’s time management skills.
5. Creativity. When your child has already learned the fundamentals of culinary arts, it may inspire him to create his own concoctions and this is when his creative side is enhanced. Cooking will not only teach your child how to create yummy food but at the same time, visually appealing plates as well.

Zodiac Camp’s Specialty Programs are designed to help your child find his passion. Zodiac’s culinary arts course is specifically designed for growing gourmets and help build their self-esteem through personal accomplishments through cooking. Each class will teach your child kitchen safety and etiquette, cooperation with others and of course, a delicious recipe that they can take home. So what are you waiting for, let your child whip up some gastronomic delight for your family! Enroll them in Zodiac’s culinary arts course today!